Abstract: Objective: To investigate the perceived stress profile of family caregivers of schizophrenia patients. Methods: A total of 284 family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia from Beijing, Sichuan, Fujian, and Jilin provinces were recruited from January 1, 2020 to February 29, 2020 and investigated with the general characteristics information sheet and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). The Latent Profile Analysis was conducted. Besides, univariate analysis and logistic regression were used to investigate the influencing factors of perceived stress. Results: Family caregivers could be divided into three types with type C1 of "low stress-low competence" (16.2%), type C2 of "low stress-high competence" (34.5%) and type C3 of "high stress-high competence " (49.3%). The mean score of perceived stress was 17.01±6.95. For C1 caregivers, female caregivers were less likely to be C2; caregivers with monthly income of 5001-10000 yuan were more likely to be C2; and caregivers in rural areas were less likely to be C3 and caregivers aged 60 years or above were less likely to be C3. For C2 caregivers, those who were spouses of patients were more likely to be C3. Conclusion: Family caregivers of patients with schizophrenia can be divided into 3 types. Health professionals can implement personalized psychological interventions based on their different demographic characteristics. More targeted intervention programs can be adopted based on the different perceived stress to reduce caregivers' perceived stress and maintain physical and mental health. By these ways, home care can be better provided and patient recovery can be promoted.

Key words: schizophrenia; perceived stress; Latent Profile Analysis; family caregivers